Israel is preparing a military retaliation against Hezbollah in Lebanon, after the terrorist group launched a deadly attack in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights on Saturday, killing twelve children and injuring dozens more.
Iranian proxy group Hezbollah conducted the rocket attack against Israel this weekend that hit Majdal Shams, a Druze-Arab village close to Israel’s border with Lebanon, Israeli officials say. The strike — which hit a soccer field on which children were playing — is the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians since October 7.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised on Monday during a visit to the Golan Heights that Israel “will not, and cannot, ignore this. . . . Our response will come, and it will be severe.” The Israeli Air Force said that Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) “struck a series of Hezbollah terrorist targets both deep inside Lebanese territory and in southern Lebanon, including weapons caches and terrorist infrastructure” on Sunday, but a larger counterstrike is expected soon.
“It is important for me to say to you, the residents of the north, that it has been a long time that you have been away from home,” IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi said this weekend during a visit to the soccer field. “We see the struggle, and we will use all means to return you home safely. We are greatly increasing our readiness for the next stage of fighting in the north. We are simultaneously operating in the Gaza Strip. We know how to strike even very far from the State of Israel. There will be more challenges, and we will raise our readiness. When required, we will act strongly.” Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said that the terrorists would fight Israel “without limits” and would not agree to a ceasefire on Israel’s northern border before Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza.
Tens of thousands of Israeli citizens have been evacuated from northern Israel as Hezbollah and IDF forces exchange fire. Hezbollah has defended Hamas since the terrorist group attacked Israel in October, murdering 1,200 civilians and taking hundreds hostage. Hezbollah’s near-daily attacks in northern Israel have made it impossible for civilians to return to their homes.
The U.S. is not yet planning to evacuate citizens from Lebanon, according to U.S. State Department officials Monday, and spokesman Vedant Patel said that the department has no announcement “as it relates to an evacuation or efforts for private U.S. citizens from Lebanon.” Patel did, however, emphasize that the department issued a level three travel advisory — encouraging U.S. citizens to “reconsider travel” to Lebanon. The State Department also issued a “do not travel” level four advisory for southern Lebanon.
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Monday that Israel would respond to Hezbollah’s “significant escalation” and thanked America “for their clear stance vis-a-vis Hezbollah’s attack, and for their ongoing commitment to Israel’s security” Israel’s Government Press Office (GPO) said. Although Hezbollah has denied launching the rocket attack, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed this weekend that “every indication” suggests Hezbollah’s responsibility for the deadly incident.